


Petrichor

by strikedawn



Category: Tales of Zestiria
Genre: M/M, just old fluff I felt like sharing!!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-10
Updated: 2019-07-10
Packaged: 2020-06-26 01:43:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19758031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/strikedawn/pseuds/strikedawn
Summary: With his journey barely started, Sorey reflects on the beauty of things.





	Petrichor

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Owlily](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Owlily/gifts).



> Hello!! This little fic isn't exactly new, but I don't think many people will have read it! It's an old drabble I posted on tumblr for the prompt "beauty". It's been a while since I wrote it, but it's still one of my favorites; I hope it will at least make you guys smile!
> 
> This one is dedicated to Fran for always blessing my tl with the sweetest sormik <333

Rain in Ladylake had been, until now, a bad omen. Malevolence had made the skies dark with thick clouds and choking fog, making hot rain fall in the city almost incessantly; and that rain had been heavy on the shoulders and muddy under people’s feet, drowning down the spirits of both humans and seraphim alike.

But once Sorey and the others had purified the city the sun shone brightly up in the sky, and its light and warmth made everyone happier. It was a sight to behold; kids running around while laughing, adults smiling at each other with clear eyes. Even Uno, the usually taciturn and serious seraphim, could be seen humming softly a song while he sat on his perch by his vessel. All of this made Sorey feel incredibly happy, a weight that he hadn’t realized was weighing down on his heart lifting suddenly.

He could do this. He could be the Shepherd and purify the land, bring humans and seraphim together.

He could fulfill his dream; he was sure of it.

He was so happy that his smile didn’t fell for days, not even when a soft summer rain covered the sun overhead and tinted the city in soft palettes of grey and blue. It had nothing to do with the rain caused by the malevolence; this storm was sweet and cool, washing away the ill feelings that could have lingered in between the stones of the ancient city, cleaning the dust away from the flowers and making them shine.

“This feels nice,” Lailah whispered, closing her eyes to better hear the soft falling of the rain.

They were at Alisha’s manor, watching the rain fall from her covered terrace. Lailah, Alisha, and Mikleo sat at the table, but Sorey was sitting on the balustrade lining the terrace with his legs hanging, his Shepherd cape flowing gently in the breeze.

“It used to smell like this back at home, when it rained,” Sorey said with his smile still in place, gaze directed at the clouds but thoughts very far away. “Right, Mikleo?”

“Yeah,” Mikleo replied. He had his eyes closed and his head tilted back, the tips of his hair falling over the back of his chair. “It’s a little bit nostalgic, actually.”

“Does it rain a lot in Elysia?” Alisha asked with a curious glance at both boys.

“Mm, not really,” Sorey said.

Mikleo soon added an explanation. “Gramps’ domain usually gave us pretty good weather. Sometimes it was so good that water seraphs had to create rain to water the mountainsides and keep them green and healthy.”

“But also got storms when Gramps got mad.” Sorey joined in with a smile, remembering how many times he had almost been struck by lightning as he ran down the fields of his home.

“That was usually _your_ fault.” When Mikleo spoke to Sorey, his smirk was cheeky and the glint in his eyes teasing. “You always managed to push Gramps' buttons.”

Sorey turned around fast to glare at Mikleo, lifting up an accusing finger. “It was your fault too! If I did something to annoy him, you were there with me, you know.”

Mikleo’s smirk grew, but he didn’t deny it.

“It looks like the storm won't stop for a while,” Lailah said when the boys fell silent, moving to her feet. She seemed tense, though none of the others knew her well enough yet to realize it. “Shall we go inside?”

“Of course,” Alisha replied, getting up from her chair too.

“I think I’ll stay for a little while.” Was Mikleo’s reply. He was moving his hand idly, almost distractedly, making tiny raindrops dance in between his fingers. “It does feel nice to be out here.”

“I’ll stay too.” Turning towards Alisha, Sorey dedicated her a sweet smile. “If that’s okay.”

With a shake of her head, Alisha turned to follow Lailah, speaking to Sorey from over her shoulder. “Stay as long as you like! We’ll be waiting inside with food for later.”

“Sweet!”

Once the door was closed behind the girls, the terrace was again in silence. The rain created a white noise that seemed to be lulling Mikleo to sleep and calming Sorey to the core, a soft lullaby that could calm even the excitement of a new adventure. Sorey’s back was to Mikleo, but he could feel his friend starting to drift off.

Still, Sorey couldn't stop himself from filling the silence, voice low so as not to break the atmosphere that the storm had created between them. “What’s the word for the smell of the rain again?”

The answer took a moment to arrive, but when it did, Sorey was surprised to realize it came from very close.

“Petrichor,” Mikleo said, taking one last step to stand against the balustrade, right by Sorey's side, arms crossed over it.

“Petrichor,” Sorey repeated, and he looked at Mikleo for a long second before returning his gaze to the rain. “It really does make me miss home.”

There was a smirk playing on Mikleo’s lips when he said: “Wanna go back already?”

“No way!” Sorey replied, picking up on Mikleo’s teasing and sending a playful jab to the other’s ribs.

Mikleo sat on the balustrade then, swinging his legs over so he was sitting right next to Sorey, facing the same direction. Their shoulders barely touched, but still it was enough for both of them to feel the other’s warmth.

Like before, Mikleo started to play with the rain, moving the raindrops with lithe fingers at his will and making them dance, jump, twirl. Then, he started to concentrate rainwater above his palm until he had enough to create figures. That was Sorey’s favorite trick of Mikleo’s when they were children —still was, in fact. Back then, Mikleo would make the water form the creatures they had read about in their books, like horses and falcons and exotic fishes with long whiskers.

Now, however, Mikleo was forming something very different. First, it was the hellion they had encountered at the festival, Sorey’s first conquest as the Shepherd. It floated silently between them, as harmless as a butterfly. Sorey observed it with avid interest as it opened its jaws— and then Mikleo was reshaping it into something long and sharp but beautiful: it was Lailah’s sword, standing with the tip towards Mikleo’s hand. It was a perfect replica, even if the rippling water made some of the details vanish. The sword stood there until Mikleo made it collapse to form one last figure: a human-like shape, tiny but looking almost alive. A person with long hair and feathers in their hair, wearing long robes and brandishing a sword.

It was, like the other figures, perfect. The figure moved around on Mikleo’s palm, swinging the sword in a powerful arc against the rain.

And Sorey couldn’t take his eyes from it.

“Is that me?” Sorey asked, lifting a finger as if to touch the water figure.

“It’s the fire armatus, yes,” Mikleo said as the tiny Sorey in his hand turned to fight another invisible enemy.

“Cool.” Sorey’s voice came in a whisper. He leaned in closer towards Mikleo, their shoulders now completely pressed against the others. “And what does _our_ armatus look like?”

Mikleo let the figure dissolve into drops that fell from his hand without dampening his skin. “How would I know? I’m inside you when we form it.”

“Oh, right.”

Deep in thought, Sorey found himself moving his gaze to Mikleo’s face. How would their armatus look, indeed? He knew they had long, blond hair because he had seen it from the corner of their eye when they turned their head but, what about the rest? Was the armatus lithe and willowy like Mikleo? Or was it bigger and more muscled, like Sorey himself? Maybe it was neither, and it was a mixture of the two.

Sorey shook his head but didn’t stop looking at Mikleo, a big smile already on his lips.

“You’re so beautiful,” Sorey said, voice and eyes as honest as he could be, as he always was. He saw Mikleo tense at the words, and a sweet blush bloom in his cheeks. “I bet our armatus is too, because of you.”

Mikleo spluttered, turning his head so his hair covered his eyes. Sorey saw his hands shake slightly and his smile grew; he loved making Mikleo feel embarrassed through compliments.

“You’re so—“ Mikleo started, but didn’t finish his sentence. He just sighed and elbowed Sorey softly on his side, making Sorey squirm and laugh lowly. But then Mikleo straightened his back and looked up, lifting his chin to look at Sorey directly in the eyes. His blush was still there, pink like a lotus flower and making him look twice as beautiful.

Mikleo was too beautiful to create a plain armatus; Sorey was completely sure of that.

“Either way,” Mikleo continued saying. His blush deepened, as if in preparation for his next words. “If our armatus really is beautiful, then… it wouldn’t be just because of me.”

A warm feeling spread inside Sorey’s chest. In the next blink of an eye, he had wrapped his arms around Mikleo, who protested and fidgeted, but did nothing to make Sorey stop.

“Aww, did you just compliment me, Mikleo!?" Sorey said excitedly against Mikleo's neck, knowing from experience he was tickling Mikleo with the tips of his hair. "Did you just call me beautiful?”

“… Shut up,” Mikleo muttered, thinking of denying it but not wanting to.

Sorey laughed, squeezing Mikleo’s middle a little bit before relaxing his arms.

Both boys returned their eyes to the garden, one with a big grin, the other with a more subtle smile, but both just as sweet. Together they continued watching the rain fall, comforted by the other’s presence and warmth, and happy to be by each other’s side.

On the horizon the clouds parted, making way for the first rays of the sun.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you guys liked it! If you would like me to unearth/finish old sormik fics I have hidden in my laptop, please let me know with a comment!
> 
> Thank you so much!!


End file.
